Verbatim AZO CDR media/CDRs quality in general

[Bodysurf]

I haven't bought CD-R media for ages.

To make a long story short, I had access to free Taiyo-Yuden CDRs, and haven't had to buy CDRs for years.

Now that that source is gone, I have to start buying CDRs again. I went to Sam's Club where I buy Verbatim DVD+Rs and grabbed some Silver InkJet Printable CDRs. The color of them is a goldish-silver rather than the deep blue AZO color of the Verbatim's I bought years ago.

Question: Are the Verbatim DataLifePlus still AZO-based?

I see a lot of talk here about great DVD+R media, but not a lot about great CD-R media. Maybe there isn't a lot to talk about when it comes to CDR media now? DVD+R is definitely the way to go as far as cost/MB, but there are sometimes (e.g., car CD player) where I need to use CDRs rather than DVD+Rs.

(I sure wish LordSmurf would add CDR media to his NoMoreCoasters site. )

[Gen-An]

It's pretty hard to find Azo-based Verbatim CD-Rs in retail stores these days. Verbatim killed off the Datalife/DatalifePlus distinctions sometime last year, which was fine for the DVD media since it was all MCC media with Azo dye. CD media is another story however. I bought a spindle of those same discs from Sam's and they were made by Prodisc, with phthalocyanine dye. The most commonly found Verbatim CD-R media is a 50 disc 52x spindle with product code 94691. The problem with this item is that it could be MCC discs with Azo dye, or Prodisc, CMC Magnetics, or Moser Baer India media with phthalocyanine dye, and to tell the difference, you have to look at the stamper serials on the disc!

[Fairhope]

I'm currently in the exact opposite situation you're in now. I just ran out of my stock of Verbatim Datalife Plus CD-R's. I've looked everywhere for them, but was not aware they quit making them.

I decided to buy some at Meritline.com, but was a little concerned because the spindle did not have the same graphics as my last batch. I then noticed the TY CD-R's. Since Lordsmurf talks so highly of their DVD-R's I figured I would try the CD-R's. I'm hoping the quality of their CD-R's is in line with the quality of their DVD's.

[lordsmurf]

CD-Audio media is still largely blue-bottom AZO material, at least the last time I looked last year. I have a stash of old PVC and MCC CD-R that I still use for music. I buy the cyanine stuff for data and quickies. Always Japanese media, or not at all.

There is far less CD-R producers than DVD-R/+R producers. CMC makes the bulk of it, along with RITEK. TY, MXL, MCC ... usually the best media.

It's really not that much different than DVD.

[Gen-An]

I forgot about the Verbatim digital vinyl stuff (the discs that look like LPs/vinyl records). It carries the old Metal Azo dye (deep blue, 16x max speed) and is great for audio.

[Bodysurf]

It's pretty hard to find Azo-based Verbatim CD-Rs in retail stores these days. Verbatim killed off the Datalife/DatalifePlus distinctions sometime last year, which was fine for the DVD media since it was all MCC media with Azo dye. CD media is another story however. I bought a spindle of those same discs from Sam's and they were made by Prodisc, with phthalocyanine dye. The most commonly found Verbatim CD-R media is a 50 disc 52x spindle with product code 94691. The problem with this item is that it could be MCC discs with Azo dye, or Prodisc, CMC Magnetics, or Moser Baer India media with phthalocyanine dye, and to tell the difference, you have to look at the stamper serials on the disc!

Is there something like DVD Identifier, but for CDR media that lets someone know what the Media Code is of a particular disc?

I also note that Verbatim continues to market on their website, and places like NewEgg continue to "carry" the Verbatim DataLifePlus CD-R media. Is that guaranteed to be the AZO-based stuff, or is it just a crap shoot?

[Gen-An]

Nero CD-DVD speed will tell you the ATIP of CD-R media including the manufacturer and dye type. The only DatalifePlus CD-R media I see on Newegg is this. Those discs do indeed use the Super AZO dye.

[Bodysurf]

Nero CD-DVD speed will tell you the ATIP of CD-R media including the manufacturer and dye type.

Ugh...

Nero CD-DVD Speed: Disc Info
Basic Information
Disc Type: : CD-R
Manufacturer: : Prodisc
MID : 97m32s19f
Write speeds: : 4 X - 8 X - 12 X - 16 X - 24 X - 32 X - 40 X - 48 X - 52 X
Capacity: : 79:59.71
: 703 MB
Extended Information
Usage : General
Disc Status : Empty
Raw Data
ATIP
0000 - E0 00 B0 00 61 20 13 00 4F 3B 47 00 00 00 80 00 - ....a...O;G.....
0010 - 00 80 00 00 00 80 80 00 - ........